There is divide in both the Yankees' and Marlins' front offices on whether to pursue Yoenis Cespedes, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Knobler says the two clubs, along with the Red Sox, may not be as heavily involved in the bidding for the Cuban outfielder as expected.
While there have been conflicting reports on the Yankees' interest in Cespedes, the Marlins are regarded by some teams as the favorite for the 26-year-old, as Knobler wrote earlier this week. According to Knobler, however, Cespedes has told people he plans to make his permanent home in the Dominican Republic rather than Miami, and may prefer to play for a team besides the Fish. Some people within the Yankees' organization, meanwhile, view Cespedes as too raw to justify the price tag, and favor a modest bid that will likely not be enough to land him.
Even with Cespedes moving closer to establishing residency in the Dominican, it doesn't appear he'll officially become a free agent until sometime in January.
Yanks, Sox and Marlins may all be out? Time to take out my pipe and dream about the Rays going for him. He can play RF and Joyce can DH. Oh god, JUST DO IT FRIEDMAN, I will pay you back, 100 bucks a month for the rest of my life.
I was thinking the exact same thing. I’d love for them to pick him up!
Yuniesky Betancourt was brought in to make Yoenis’ transition to Kansas City easier… they both speak Cuban
hahaha speak cuban? u mean spanish right?
Cuban can’t be the same as Spanish or then giving Yunitard $2M makes no sense at all!
stop speaking american!
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I get your humor, dude!
anyone else think the cardinals should go for him? i mean then we’ll have an outfield on beltran cespedes holliday, then they can start trade talks with craig and jay for prado
I wouldn’t be against going after him but we might as well forget about it. It’s not going to happen.
unfortunately i agree with that, it won’t happen, just maybe wishful thinking and hoping that could be the organizations gift to the fans haha
We’ll I’d be for the Cards signing him and trading for Craig. I seem to love any possible 1B option. Hey, you guys willing to trade Matt Adams?
not really, hes our man when berkman retires, hoping he can continue his success in the big leagues, and are you saying your team trades for craig? hes much more of an outfielder than 1b
Absolutely. You guys willing to trade Matt Moore?
Edit: That was sarcasm before someone gives me a whole paragraph about how Moore has more value than Adams.
yeah but then if you trade craig and jay for prado, youll still have 4 outfielders with too big of contracts to have one sitting on the bench. Prado can’t play third because of Freese.
no we wouldn’t, prado would be used at second base
oh yeah, i forgot prado also played every other position including hot dog vendor. it could happen, but its a long shot.
oh yes, very long shot, and we were thinking of using him more as a beer man then hot dog vendor
“4 outfielders with too big of contracts to have one sitting on the bench”
Cespedes, Holliday, and Beltran. That’s 3 outfielders. Prado’s best fit is at 2nd. That’s where he has the most value IMO.
Whitesox possibility getting stronger and stronger
KW loves cubans, Dayan in right Cespedes in left
They get him cigars.
it all turns on his defense, in my mind. he looks like a guy with 25 HR power (maybe more) and good speed, but hardly any plate discipline. his OBPs will not impress, but if he’s an average or better defensive centerfielder, he will be quite valuable (a better version of adam jones)
any team that wants to play him in RF should be really wary. unless he has great defense out there, he might not be anything special (a better version of melky cabrera)
Welcome to Detroit Mr. Cespedes.
Why do so many Detroit fans have such a hard on for this kid? The price tag is going to be bad for a guy who really is an unknown quality. I just don’t get the unbridled interest that Detroit fans seem to have for this kid in mass.
I thought the White Sox were the top team pursuing Cespedes?
Where’d you hear that?
There was a writer who wrote that the sox were strong on him. It’s actually on this site some where from a few days ago. What makes you think he is going to Detroit?
There is a HUGE difference between being the front runner, as Shawn stated, and being strong on him.
I think that Detroit has a good shot at getting him because they have a need for him, have an owner who is willing to spend on him (White Sox don’t. They are looking to cut payroll.) and have shown a lot of interest in him.
Kenny Williams has never said anything about cutting payroll neither and reinsdorf. With peavy and aj gone next season thats close to 30 million off the books along with a probable trade of Floyd, Thornton, Quentin and rios( even eating all but 2 mill a year is saving money) there is your payroll cutting right there while still being able to sign cepedes. I do agree the tigers have a shot but they have a crowded outfield as is and no room at dh. I would say the tiger have just as good of a shot as the sox. Neither truly needs him but both could use. The only edge the sox have is having two of his teammates from the Cuban national team in alexi and vicedio already locked up that could sway him because he might be more comfortable with guys he knows on the team
There’s already have been 2 scouts who have said he will probably be going to the Tigers. If you want me to direct you to the article, I will. I know it might not mean anything, but the Tigers look to have the best shot right now.
Could you I would like to read it. Also it does not matter what a scout says it’s all about agents and execs
The article is titled “Tigers Emerge as Front-runner for Cespedes” and it’s on Tigers Scout. But do you really think the White Sox are really in this? I think they’re trying to raise the price for the Tigers.
absolutely the white sox are in on him… the tigers wont get him… keep dreaming on..
cespedes played with both viciedo and ramirez in cuba… as long as the white sox make a competitive offer, they win… sorry detroit, you wont get him.
i’m not a white sox fan either, just an fyi.
Yeah, okay. That’s 100% speculation. I’m not saying the Tigers get him, but I highly doubt the Sox will get him.
ok
Trolololol.
Y dont the rangers get him and move Josh Hamilton to left field?!?!
They’re trying to keep Hamilton away fom the white lines.
Low blow, funny but wrong.
Anyone know how good this guy really is? Or is this just a crap shoot hoping for a positive ending?
Only time I ever saw this kid play was in the WBC against Australia. He seemed very talented, but it was 2008 and he was going up against Australian pitching which was not MLB caliber.
if he were 20 or even 22, he’d be a top 5 prospect. he’s 26, though, so flashy tools don’t mean as much. he doesn’t have strong on-base skills, so teams are probably very wary of his transition to MLB pitching
Thanks.
26*
Exactly. Scouts estimate Cuban baseball as roughly comparable to high-A ball in terms of competition so…he’s basically 3-4yrs behind a standard minors->MLB progression schedule.
The highlight video that was provided to attract attention to him wasn’t anything spectacular. Seems like hes just trying to get that big day really. But who knows maybe he will be a great player. I wouldn’t take my chances on him if I was a gm though. Too much money, he may actually be 36 and not 26, and it seems like they are trying hard to sell him.
When i see the name Cespedes i think of Centipedes
I know it has nothing to do with baseball or your comment, but I’m a huge wresting fan…..appreciated your name. CM Punk rocks!
whats wresting?
i dont understand why he wouldnt want to live in miami (if he plays for the marlins or not) because it basically cuba jr. just without fidel castro.
The Yankees and Marlins switched identities this offseason.
When i see the name Cespedes i think of centipedes
Where have I heard this before….?
/looks 3 comments up
Ahhh, yes.
Torrealba hit an umpire in the face after striking out in the Venezuelan winter league.
That’s about all he can hit.
Yanks should stay away from this guy, imo. Saying this as a Yankee fan. Our outfield is fine.
Trade swisher and sign Cesepedes
I wonder if Cespedes can play in winter league in DR?
Maybe this means the a’s can swoop in as a darkhorse team haha..ha ha….sigh
The MArlins
1) sign Bell
2) sign Reyes, heavy backloaded
3) which POs Hanley.
4) They sign a good, not great, starter in Burhle to a heavy backloaded contract
5) Wilson and Pujols take a whole lot less not to go to the Marlins
6) They do not pursue anyone else
7) in an area with a large Cuban population they may not pursue Cespedes
8) there’s that pesky investigation
Is it me, or is the Reyes / Marlins deal going to be a disaster of epic proportions?
Reyes is one of the most dynamic players the game has right now. If he’s on the field, he’ll be worth it. Even if he misses a few games each year, he’ll be worth it.
Tulo played 143 and 122 last year and the year before, respectively.
Hanley, 92 and 142, same time.
Reyes has 126 and 133.
Tulo – 265
Hanley – 234
Reyes – 259
It’s not as bad as people make it out to be.
The problem is he usually misses a lot more than a few games. If he’s healthy, he’s one of the best in the game. We’ll just have to wait and see.
I highly doubt the marlins actually offered Albert more money than the angles…
When i see the name Cespedes i think of CM Punk.
not related to your comment, but you, have the best name on MLBTR. I never even realized that about Rich Harden until I saw your name, its so funny
As a Fish Fan, I say we pass on this guy. Too many question marks to justify the contract. We’re fine in the OF w/ Stanton, LoMo, and Bonifacio. Coghlan could serve as depth off the bench. Sign Saunders. Done.
This probably means the yankees are gonna push for soler. F. So much for him being an O.
It’s weird to see the Yankees and Marlins going after the same Free agent (or not)
What part about them thinking he might be too raw (aka would need to spend time in the minors) did you miss?
oh no..yankees arnt in on anyone this offseason. yankee fans are going through withdrawals
Trade Swish for a guy who is relatively unknown and never played in the majors? No thanks!!!
No way you can be sure of that no matter how poor Swish was in October he still did great in the regular season and I would rather go with him over taking a gamble on this guy!!
Trade a guy because he had 5 bad games. Gotcha.
I think you’re being naive. Spending $30 + mil on Cespedes is truly risky if you indeed view him as being very raw. 3 months in the minors doesn’t transform a “raw’ player into a polished mlb ready player. I just think it’s a lot to invest in someone if you don’t view them as ready to move into the majors immediately.
Essentially, they are saying he has prospect status.
mike cameron has an 11% career walk-rate. not a good comparison
assuming good defense, cespedes’ (projected .275/.330/.435) would be a better version of adam jones’ (career .275/.320/.437)
melky cabrera (career .275/.331/.400) with more power is a worrisome possibility if his defense isn’t great
It’s not like the Yankees ever had a guy they gave MLB money to only to see him burn them by not panning out during the life of his contract.
/Brackman’d
Wow….really? So the Yanks are the only team that paid a highly regarded amateur a big bonus just to see them fail?
And how oh so wise of you to compare a highly scouted 22 yo college arm that signed a whopping $4 mil mlb contract (incl bonus) to a 26 (alleged) yo player who has never played in the US and who is rumored to demand a $30 + mil guaranteed contract.
Please….write your post as usual, but pause 5 minutes and think it over before you press “post”. Thanks.
You’re right. the Yankees would never pay any money to any sort of risky player with high upside. My apologies. Their long-term outfield solutions under contract for multiple years at all three positions only guarantees after this season they couldn’t possibly be able to absorb a MAX contract of 30 million.
.330 seem kinda high for Cespedes
Wow…that’s all you came up with? Any team that invests millions in a multi year deal is taking a risk. Investing millions in a multi-year deal for a Cuban player w/ ZERO stateside experience who they feel might be “raw” is a RISKIER investment.
It’s not about being willing to spend $30 + mil, it’s about choosing who you spend it on and if they feel that he’s still very raw, meaning he will need a year or two in the minors, then the money you risk should be in line with that evaluation.
For instance, I would’ve loved for the Yanks to have drafted Josh Bell and drop $6 mil in his lap this summer. He has risks but $6 mil isn’t a lot considering his upside and how long you’ll have control of him. Spending $30-$50 mil on a player who is 26 and may need to spend 1 or 2 years in the minors is a different story.
If danks had a more typical danks year he would have gotten cj Wilson money given his age so in all fair ness his deal is pretty good. Not overly player friendly/ over pay and not overly team friendly just a good solid contract. As for the building around youngsters like konerko and Pierre. A few issues. The whitesox next season will see a youth infusion. Morell, beckham, de aza, vicedio, sale, danks, reed, and flowers are all under 28. So yeah there is a bunch of youth already there. The konerko comment he is locked up for 2 more years and has been one if the top 1st basemen in the game. For the last few years. Oh and Pierre is not on the team any more. So yeah
I’m not particularly sure why you’re being such a bratty dick about this. I’m a Yankees’ fan. They have a FA to be in right field, an inexpensive left fielder, an affordable CF for his production and money coming off the books next year with a whole slew of prospects highly touted the next few years. Even if they want to go under the 190 threshold which I suspect they do, they have Jeter, Soriano, Swisher, Burnett, Rivera’s contracts alone up after the 2013 season. That’s over 70 million in just those contracts and a lot of those guys they have replacements for to varying degrees in the system near MLB ready.
If he is going to cost 50 million obviously don’t go for him, but if you’re giving him 30 spread over his prime years, I don’t think it’s that awful of a risk and they have a history of taking chances on relatively unknowns whether it be posting fees, paying over slot or anything else. They also have a history of replacing payroll when it comes off the books. Sue me.
You were the one being snippy my friend. They learned their lesson with the ONE player they posted a fee for and there’s a big difference between giving a $3 or $4 mil bonus to a draftee vs $30 mil to a guy like Cespedes.
I think some have Kei Igawa and the 46m wasted on him too fresh in their minds, where each new foreign object is viewed with a healthy dose of skepiticism.
He’s definitely a risk, but the Yankee of all teams should be able to take it. After all were simply talking set-up man wages.
I just want to see how narrow the text gets on the right side of the screen here.
So just ignore me.